Semiautomatic firearms for 22 caliber rimfire cartridges are extremely popular as evidenced by the many makes and models available. Semiautomatic rifles for higher power rimfire cartridges, for example .17 HSR and .17 WSM are not presently available. Previous commercial models for these rimfire cartridges proved to be unreliable and prone to malfunctions. Mechanisms, particularly the trigger assemblies, safety mechanisms and cycling mechanisms typically used for conventional .22 caliber ammunition are not believed to be robust and reliable enough for these higher powered rimfire cartridges.
A reliable semiautomatic firearm with suitable mechanisms to mitigate misfires and out of breech firings and other malfunctions would be welcomed.